The Report of the Iraq Inquiry

80.  Mr Blair and other Ministers had not received any considered,

cross‑government advice on the policy issues or options before the Cabinet

discussion.

81.  The Cabinet Office ‘Iraq: Options Paper’ of 8 March was prepared as a

background paper by relatively junior officials. It contained no recommendation

and was not intended to provide the basis for decisions. It was not formally

considered and approved by senior officials.

82.  From late February 2002, Mr Blair and Mr Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary,

began to set out the argument that Iraq was a threat which had to be dealt with in

articles in the press and public statements which are described in Section 3.2.

83.  In addition, a briefing paper on Iraq for the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) was

prepared, at Mr Straw’s request, by his Special Adviser, Dr Michael Williams.32

84.  Mr Straw’s Private Office signed a letter to members of Cabinet on 6 March

suggesting that they might find the paper on Iraq “useful background”.33

85.  In Cabinet on 7 March (see Section 3.2), several Ministers expressed concern

about the possibility of US military action against Iraq and its implications.

86.  Cabinet was assured that no decision to launch military action had been taken and

“any action would be in accordance with international law”.

87.  Mr Blair concluded that the right strategy was to engage the US Government

closely to shape policy and its presentation.

THE CABINET OFFICE ‘IRAQ: OPTIONS PAPER’

88.  A collection of “background briefs” in preparation for his meeting with President

Bush in early April was sent to Mr Blair on 8 March.34

89.  The papers included a Cabinet Office ‘Iraq: Options Paper’,35 together with two

FCO papers, ‘Iraq: Legal Background’36 and the ‘Military Action against Iraq: Attitudes

of Selected Third Countries’.37 The Cabinet Office paper and its origins are addressed

in detail in Section 3.2.

32 Statement, Lord Williams of Baglan, 9 January 2011, page 5.

33 Letter Sedwill to Rycroft, 6 March 2002, ‘Iraq: Cabinet Discussion’.

34 Minute Manning to Prime Minister, 8 March 2002, ‘Briefing for the US’.

35 Paper Cabinet Office, 8 March 2002, ‘Iraq: Options Paper’.

36 Paper FCO, [undated], ‘Iraq: Legal Background’.

37 Paper Foreign and Commonwealth Office, March 2002, ‘Military Action against Iraq: Attitudes of

Selected Third Countries’.

188